Ladyman says ‘NO‘ to 25.25m trial
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The minister for transport, Dr Stephen Ladyman MP has told the Road Haulage Forum, that after careful consideration the government is not prepared to trial 25.25m trucks
Dr Ladyman told Road Haulage Forum members that after very careful
consideration of all the representations made to him, he was not
prepared to authorise road trials of very large lorries, citing a
number of difficulties that would arise if the concept was eventually
adopted; the main one being the operation of route authorisation.
The decision should not have come as a great surprise to readers of ROADWAY. In an exclusive interview published two months ago (November 2005 issue) Ladyman said: ‘Frankly I am going to need a lot of convincing that it is worth carrying out a trial. Why would I carry out a trial unless there is a prospect of me actually saying yes to these things coming onto the roads?’
A lack of industry support may have influenced his decision. During our interview Ladyman added: ‘The two people who have built these lorries [referring to Dick Denby and Stan Robinson] want a trial, but I am getting mixed messages from the rest of the industry.’
However the Minister has not closed the door permanently. He told the forum that he intends to follow the Dutch trials closely to see what, if any, benefits are identified.
Dick Denby says he is quite calm about the decision. He told ROADWAY: ‘This is like climbing a mountain on roller skates. Eventually you get there.
‘But I have to congratulate the people at DfT who believe in what we were trying to do, and for committing the resources that have got us this far.
‘It is a no for now, but am reliably informed that in conjunction with monitoring of the Dutch trials, monies will now be made available to fund a study similar to that carried out by Professor Sir Authur Armitage prior to the increase in GVW from 32 to 38 tonnes.’
The RHA’s Chief Executive Roger King said: ‘It is fair to say that opinions were divided at this outcome. I believe that the Government should have moved towards a trial, but I know that many hauliers are suspicious that larger trucks mean lower rates per tonne.’
The decision should not have come as a great surprise to readers of ROADWAY. In an exclusive interview published two months ago (November 2005 issue) Ladyman said: ‘Frankly I am going to need a lot of convincing that it is worth carrying out a trial. Why would I carry out a trial unless there is a prospect of me actually saying yes to these things coming onto the roads?’
A lack of industry support may have influenced his decision. During our interview Ladyman added: ‘The two people who have built these lorries [referring to Dick Denby and Stan Robinson] want a trial, but I am getting mixed messages from the rest of the industry.’
However the Minister has not closed the door permanently. He told the forum that he intends to follow the Dutch trials closely to see what, if any, benefits are identified.
Dick Denby says he is quite calm about the decision. He told ROADWAY: ‘This is like climbing a mountain on roller skates. Eventually you get there.
‘But I have to congratulate the people at DfT who believe in what we were trying to do, and for committing the resources that have got us this far.
‘It is a no for now, but am reliably informed that in conjunction with monitoring of the Dutch trials, monies will now be made available to fund a study similar to that carried out by Professor Sir Authur Armitage prior to the increase in GVW from 32 to 38 tonnes.’
The RHA’s Chief Executive Roger King said: ‘It is fair to say that opinions were divided at this outcome. I believe that the Government should have moved towards a trial, but I know that many hauliers are suspicious that larger trucks mean lower rates per tonne.’
